Sir Gareth Southgate wants people in an office rather than working from home

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FT Desk

Sir Gareth Soutgate isn't a fan of people working from home and wants younger people to experience the office environment so they can be mentored.

After leaving his post as England manager, Southgate has started a career in business, offering leadership consultations and corporate speaking opportunities.

Speaking on a fact-finding trip to the Netherlands with Alan Milburn, a head reviewer of youth unemployment and inactivity in the United Kingdom, he slammed the current work-from-home culture in the country, using footballer as en axample of a job where the individual receives the necessary support to succeed.

“So you’ve got this support network of people that companies, businesses can provide. That’s eminently possible," he said.

“It’s one of the reasons I hate working from home. It’s great at my age. But if you’re a youngster, you need those, the mentors, the people that are going to look out for you, when all those complicated things that happen to you as a youngster and help explain them.”

Southgate, who previously made a BBC documentary on the challenges young people face in Britain, says labelling youths with conditions such as ADHD or autism shouldn’t limit their employment chances.

He explained: “I think any label that a youngster gets… as a coach, as a parent you are very conscious of putting a label on a young person because firstly, it can limit what they think’s possibly in their life.

“And secondly, it kind of follows them around. And they can often become that person that you’re labelling them as being. I’ve met lots of youngsters with ADHD, with autism, that perhaps some have had the opportunity to have a different way of being schooled, and are really thriving.

“You know in great positions – they’ll be very successful people that have autism or ADHD – but have found the right vocation, found the right support at the right time.”

There are currently one million young people not in education, employment or training. Southgate insists the government needs to do more to encourage the younger workforce.

Southgate's venture into the world of leadership and management training has seen him, funnily enough, compared with The Office's David Brent.

According to the UK Parliament, about 39% of working adults in Great Britain work from home at least some of the time. That was roughly 26% working in a hybrid arrangement and 13% working fully remotely.